Metamorphosis: Junior Year (review)

Ovid, named after the Roman poet, is a storyteller: even while immersed in the usual adolescent miseries, he has enough perspective to see the makings of mythology and apply it to his high-school classmates. Thus, a socially phobic pair meet online and connect as Psyche and Cupid, a teen split between her separating parents mirrors Proserpina, and Ovid, drawing from his namesake, records it all. In diary entries, black-and-white illustrations, and poetry, Ovid slowly admits his own dark secrets, even while laying bare those of his peers. Though readers unfamiliar with Roman mythology may miss most of the references, this knowledge isn't necessary to connect with the overarching (and all but universal) themes of isolation, insecurity, and vulnerability faced during periods of dramatic life changes. The illustrations, created originally by the author's son when he was a high-schooler (and adapted for this volume) feel authentically young adult in their passion, and raw emotional punch. The interpolated poetry doesn't have the grace of Francesca Lia Block's look at Greek deities in Psyche in a Dress (BCCB 11/06), but the powerful mix of poems, prose, and creative illustrations works beautifully to present a painful glimpse into both the life of a tormented boy and the often equally tortured existences of mythological Roman figures.